Ballia (Uttar Pradesh): Thousands gathered in Uttar Pradesh’s Ballia district on Friday to bid farewell to senior Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) leader and three-time Rasra MLA Uma Shankar Singh, whose last rites were performed with full state honours.
His funeral procession transcended political affiliations, a poignant display of public affection and respect.
The mortal remains of Uma Shankar Singh, the BSP’s lone MLA in the Uttar Pradesh Assembly, were brought to his ancestral village, Khanwar in Ballia’s Nagra area, late on Thursday night. Since then, a steady stream of supporters, well-wishers and local residents thronged his residence to pay their last respects.
As the funeral procession began on Friday morning, the region echoed with emotional slogans such as “Jab Tak Sooraj Chand Rahega, Bhaiya Tera Naam Rahega” and “Umashankar Singh Amar Rahen.”
Despite intermittent rain, a large number of people, including leaders from various political parties, representatives of social organisations and ordinary citizens, joined the procession.
The seven-hour-long journey culminated at Shrirampur Ghat on the banks of the Ganga. Along the route, people showered flower petals and offered tributes to the popular legislator.
The cremation was conducted with full state honours, and his son, Prince Umesh Singh, lit the funeral pyre. Overcome with grief, he broke down after performing the final rites.
District Magistrate Mangla Prasad Singh and Superintendent of Police Omveer Singh paid floral tributes on behalf of the administration. Several prominent leaders attended the funeral, including BSP state President Vishwanath Pal, Subhaspa MLA Hansuram, former minister Narad Rai, BJP district President Sanjay Mishra, and Uttar Pradesh Minister Dinesh Pratap Singh, who is also a relative by marriage.
Paying tribute on social media platform X, Dinesh Pratap Singh said those who sought to measure Uma Shankar Singh’s wealth through bank accounts and lockers should instead witness the tears in the eyes of the people of Ballia and the massive turnout during his final journey.
He described the affection and trust earned by the late MLA as a form of wealth that could never be locked away.
The minister said Uma Shankar Singh’s greatest asset was the faith and love of the people. The huge crowd that turned up for his final farewell, he said, was proof of the selfless public service that defined his political career.
Uma Shankar Singh passed away on Wednesday night while undergoing treatment at a Fortis Hospital in New Delhi. He was 55 and had been suffering from prolonged illness.
Born on January 2, 1971, in Khanwar village of Ballia, Singh hailed from a farming family. His father, Ghurhu Singh, served in the Army.
After completing his schooling in the village, he studied at Janata Inter College, Nagra, and graduated from Satish Chandra College, Ballia. He began his public life through student politics and served as General Secretary of the student union in 1990-91.
Elected a district panchayat member in 2000, he entered the Uttar Pradesh Assembly for the first time in 2012 from Rasra. He retained the seat in both the 2017 and 2022 Assembly elections, establishing himself as one of eastern Uttar Pradesh’s prominent BSP leaders.
(IANS)
